All That's Left
by Batmanskipper
Summary: My Halloween special! James knew he never should have taken that dare. Everyone knew the Central Park Zoo was haunted. If he hadn't been so anxious not to be called a chicken he probably would have paid more attention to the fact that nobody who entered the zoo had ever been seen again. But, it was too late to think of that now. He'd already gone inside...
1. Never Accept a Dare

**This is my Halloween special and first attempt at something in the horror genre. I plan on writing about five or six chapters, but you never know. Anyway, enjoy the story and please review.**

_"I knew it! You're chicken!" Harvey exclaimed triumphantly._

_"Am not!" James protested, though he would never admit it, he was afraid. The two penguins were standing outside the gates of the old, and extremely haunted, Central Park Zoo._

_"Are too. Fine then, if you aren't chicken, you won't be afraid to take one tiny little walk through the zoo."_

_"You'd have to be crazy to do that! Nobody who's ever gone in there's ever come out."_

_"So you are chicken." _

_" I'll prove I'm not chicken. I'll bring you back one of the fish skeletons from the fishbowl in the old penguin exhibit."_

James Stacy stared at the tall rusted gates, the moonlight making them seem taller than they actually were. The Central Park Zoo, at least according to the version of the story he'd heard, had once been a happy and, well pretty much normal zoo. Then one day, something happened, nobody knows what, but everyone inside the zoo just disappeared; humans, animals, even a penguin team. A couple of days after that two other teams were called in to investigate the disappearance of the team in the central park zoo. They never came back. After that, nobody in their right mind dared enter the zoo, and those who did, vanished as well. James took a deep breath. No way was he going through with this.

"Jimmy is a chicken. Jimmy is a chicken." Harvey sang.

"For the last time I'm not chicken! Look," James marched through the gates, his fear of humiliation among his peers surpassing his common sense. He walked over to the penguin exhibit, climbed over the railing and onto the floe. The water had dried up years ago, leaving behind an empty pool of dried leaves blown in from the park.

James bent over to pick up one of the fish skeletons, left behind in the bowl. "Poor guys, didn't even get their breakfast." James muttered to no one in particular. Crunch. Crunch. The sound of footsteps on dried leaves reached the young penguin's ears. James spun around to face the direction the sound had come from. The leaves remained completely undisturbed. The place was obviously getting to him. Once again the penguin bent down to retrieve the skeleton. The smell of fresh fish reached his nose. He looked down. The fish that had previously been a but a bleached skeleton was now a normal fish, fresh off the boat. James dropped it in surprise, taking several steps backwards. The fleshless skeleton hit the ground. James looked at the broken fish bones, as bare and dry as they had been when he removed them from the bowl. He could have sworn he'd seen… No. That was impossible.

The young penguin took a deep breath, doing his best to suppress his rising panic. All he had to do was grab the skeleton, leave the place and never come back. There was something about the zoo, nothing he could put his finger on, that sent shivers down his spine. Call it gut instinct. He snatched the partially broken fish skeleton from the floor then began to walk at a brisk pace towards the door. He wasn't outright scared, but he wanted to be out of there as fast as possible.

"Come back James…" someone whispered. The bird in question froze.

"Ha ha, very funny Harvey." His voice was brittle and nervous, "If you think this is a joke, nobody's laughing. Harvey…?" There was no answer. It must have been the wind.

"Save us…" There it was again! James was getting out of there. He belly slid towards the gates as past as he possibly could, the fish skeleton he had risked so much to retrieve falling from his wing. The only thing important to him now was getting out of that zoo.

Ten meters… nine meters… eight meters… James mentally counted down the distance as he sped towards the giant sized exit. Never before had those doors seemed so inviting. Six… five… four… James looked up when he heard the creak of oil less hinges. The gates were closing! The young penguin, who had been sliding as fast as he could possibly move, managed to go even faster, as he raced against the closing gates. He had to get out of there. Three meters… two meters… The gates slammed shut. The terrified penguin grabbed the rust covered bars, shaking them as if this desperate act would somehow open them. The streetlights that once illuminated the paths traversing the zoo flickered on and off. That was impossible! They'd cut off power to the place years ago. James looked up at the gate. There was no use trying to climb it. It was far too high.

"Harvey open the gates now! The joke's over." James screamed. Harvey was gone. The street was empty, "Harvey! Anybody! OPEN THE GATES!" Nobody came. Suddenly the lights stopped flickering. He looked around for another exit, the zoo eerily quiet. An old and dirty map of the zoo blew across his path. There was no way out but through those gates.


	2. Kid Kazoo Destroyed the Zoo?

**This is a bit of a fast paced chapter (sorry), but it's already pretty close to Halloween so I had to throw a couple of ideas, that were supposed to be in separate chapters together.**

It was now eleven o'clock at night. He had been in the zoo for two hours without event, yet he couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen. That was when it began to rain. Big thick drops that would quickly soak him to the skin. He was going to have to find some kind of shelter. If he was going to die in here, it wasn't going to be from pneumonia. He didn't want 'this is why you should always take a raincoat on insanely dangerous dares' carved on his headstone. Anyway, as much as he loathed to re-enter one of the habitats, he really had no choice. The office, café and zoovenir shop were obviously long past structurally unstable, and word was that one of the penguins that disappeared was able to shoot exploding lava from his mouth. Or was it exploding fish? Either way, he wouldn't want to be caught in there with him.

James looked about the zoo. He was certain he was not going back to the penguin habitat. There was something very disturbing about fish that were unsure of weather they were alive or dead. It sounded a bit like something his science teacher had said. In the end, he decided to try the chimpanzees first. As far as he had heard, they weren't particularly vicious, and they weren't big enough to accidentally squish him. Hopefully, if his lucky kept up, he'd be able to get a decent night's sleep.

The walk towards the chimpanzees took him past the elephant habitat. He poked his head in. Surely there was no harm in taking a peek. All that seemed to be there was bales and bales of hay. Then he spotted a scrap of paper between two stacks. He entered the habitat, approaching the aforementioned abnormality. James didn't consider himself a curious penguin, he normally left the investigating to the other kids, but for some reason he was drawn to that scrap of paper, which someone had obviously tried to hide. It took all his strength to knock the hay bales to the side, but eventually he succeeded. It was then revealed that it was not a mere scrap of paper he had seen, but a whole network of drawings, photographs, and notes connected with what resembled rotting pieces of string.

"Whoever lived here certainly knew how to hold a grudge." James muttered. The first photograph showed a blond haired boy with braces and a red baseball cap, holding a kazoo, a devious smile on his face. This was linked to various other photos showing him at later stages in life. Finally the piece of string ended with a photograph of the outside of an apartment. The photograph was old and obviously deteriorating but it looked like the third floor windows were burning. That's when it hit him. Whoever lived in this habitat obviously attacked this human out of revenge. It was unclear what he did as a job, since James couldn't read, but if he was someone powerful, he could have ordered the destruction of the zoo with whatever magical powers he possessed. At least, James assumed they were magic powers, since on one of the photographs he was holding a piece of paper and wearing a funny hat and dress. The only other time he had seen humans dressed like that was on TV, and they were at some magic academy.

James shivered. The temperature in the habitat had suddenly dropped. He looked around. Nobody seemed to be there. Then he noticed something seeping out of the hay bales, but it was too dark to see exactly what. It was probably just the moonlight playing tricks on his eyes. Then he heard something hit the ground nearby. He looked down. There was a flashlight beside his foot. He stared at it for a few seconds, unsure of weather he should pick it up or not. Somebody (or he dreaded to think, something) obviously wanted him to see whatever was seeping from the hay, which meant he probably didn't want to see it. He took a few steps back from the flashlight. The flashlight slid towards him. He took another few steps back, the flashlight followed. Then it seemingly spontaneously switched on, illuminating the hay bales he had been observing in the first place. James flinched. It wasn't just the moonlight playing tricks with his eyes. Something was seeping out of the hay, something thick, red and gloopy. Blood.

"Oh my rainbow coloured tuna!" James gasped. He'd seen all he needed to see. In less than a second he was out of the habitat. He wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between him and those hay bales as possible.

James ran across the path, blindly seeking any hiding place. He dived behind the tree in the chimpanzee habitat, panting. He seemed to be safe.

"Would you care for some tea?" An English accented voice asked. James whirled around to come face to face with a floating tea cup, "Milk or sugar?" James wasn't going to stick around for the answer to either question, once again vaulting over the fence for the first hiding spot that he had not already been designated haunted he could find.

"Rico…" a nasal female voice called, James continued to run down the path. He really didn't want to know who was following him now, "Rico…" the voice continued to repeat. However, the farther away from the ostrich habitat he got the quieter the voice, until it was all together gone.

Thump thump thump thump… the noises getting consistently louder until some invisible object, the size of an SUV charged past him, after which the sounds began to sound further away. Then they stopped for a few seconds before returning towards him. Thump thump thump thump. Sooner or later whoever, or whatever, it was, was going to get lucky. James made a split second decision. Yes the habitats were scary, but were relatively safer than being run over by some invisible creature that made as much noise and he guessed would be as painful as being hit by a charging rhino. James made a dive for the kangaroo habitat, as whatever unseen entity trampled the ground where he had stood only seconds before. Ooph! Maybe he hadn't been missed. James looked down.

"Joey don't like trespassers!" the skeletal kangaroo, who's foot had sent him flying into the tree in the centre of the habitat shouted. James stared at his assailant in horror. Joey, as he called himself, looked like he had once been a kangaroo, though now all that was left was his skeleton and internal amazingly still working, internal organs.

"I was just leaving," James shouted as he made a dash for the perimeter fence. The kangaroo, or what was left of him grabbed him by the wing swung him above his head a couple of times before throwing him out of the habitat. James wasn't sure whether it was the sight of Joey's heart still beating, and rotting, through the marsupial's rib cage or being spun around that made him feel the sickest.


	3. If It Ain't Haunted, Don't Run From It

James was already trying to count the broken bones he would receive when he hit the ground as Joey spun him around and around. At least, he wished he'd been thinking of something more dignified than screaming at his lung's full capacity. However, even if he had been successful at predicting the obvious carnage that would occur when his body hit the ground at twenty miles an hour, he would have been wrong. In fact James found that he had landed safely on a now deflating, extremely decrepit bouncy castle in the lemur habitat. Cautiously the young penguin sat up, first scouting the area to see if that over territorial kangaroo had followed him. Fortunately, Joey had remained in his own habitat. Now that the immediate danger was past, James noticed the fact that it was still raining, and yes, he was soaked.

The lemur habitat seemed to have no immediate shelter, such as caves or buildings; however, it did have a volcano. James assumed that the slope of the sides would provide adequate shelter from the rain. James looked at the plastic structure, wondering just how he was going to get inside. He had considered finding another habitat, but if it ain't haunted don't run from it. He was debating an attempt to scale the wall when he noticed a coil of rope only a few meters away. It was old, and frankly rotting, but what could be more dangerous than being kicked across a habitat by an un-dead kangaroo?

James tied a rusty metal bar, which he had bent into a hook shape, to one end of the rope before throwing it at the top of the volcano. It took several attempts, but eventually it stuck. James tested the rope before beginning to scale volcano. Eventually, he reached the top, where he gathered up the rope, and tossed it into the hole in the centre of the volcano, leaving the hook attached to the top. That way he would be able to climb out. James grabbed hold of the rope with his flippers, half falling half climbing down to the ground. He lay down against one of the sides of the volcano, the rain soaking the ground exposed by the hole in the top, but not yet reaching where he was, and fell asleep.

James had slept barely two hours when he heard the music. The sound was tinny and distant, though the source, James had spotted a decrepit boom box resting on the bamboo smoothie bar, was not far away. The voice singing was slow and sounded as if the singer was singing in their sleep. James huddled in the volcano too scared to move. He covered his ears, but still the music seemed to reach his eardrums. That was when he lost control. His arms and legs seemed to move against his will, climbing the rope out of the volcano and walking towards the source of the music, whose tempo was steadily increasing. When he reached an area of grass directly in front of the crown, he stopped walking towards the music box and began dancing. That's right, dancing. James panicked. It was just plain creepy no longer being in control of his own movements, but being forced to dance? That was when he felt someone bump against him. Someone who wasn't there.

"Hello non transparent penguin!" A disembodied voice laughed. James doubted he would ever get used to all these invisible people. Lighting flashed, and for a split second, the speaker was visible. He had greyish black fur, his eyes gone, leaving only empty sockets and a good deal of his face seemed to have been outright peeled off.

"Stop it!" James shouted desperately. He'd really had enough of all this madness, although his greatest fear was that a video of this would find its way onto the internet.

"Mort, you are not shaking your booty enough. Now, fishy smelling one, we must be teaching you de party!" Once again lightning flashed. It seemed to do that every time he spoke.

"Please make it stop!" James begged. That was when he felt something brush against his body. Some invisible person, probably this Maurice the speaker kept referring too, had dropped a grass skirt over his head. He'd never been possessed before, and he certainly hoped he wouldn't be again, but he could safely say this was probably the most embarrassing possession in the history of all ghostly activity. James fought against whatever was forcing him to dance. There had to be a way to make it stop. That was when the boom box crackled. James wasn't surprised. It shouldn't even be working at all after being exposed to the elements so long.

"Maurice, de boomy box is getting all crackly again. Kick it or something. We cannot be partying without de music." That was it, all James had to do was get rid of the music. He stopped trying to resist whatever force was making him dance, instead slowly dancing his way towards the boom box until…

Smash! James slammed himself into the boom box, pushing it off its perch on the smoothie bar and onto the floor. The music stopped, and James found he was once again in control of his own actions. James heard a patter of feet of to the right, probably the invisible Maurice rushing to turn the music back on.

"Be stopping the non glowy one," the eyeless lemur, who was somehow able to see shouted. That was bad.

"Feeeeeeeeeeeeeet." A high pitched voice squealed.

"Do not be touching de feet, Mort." There were sounds of a scuffle and random chairs and objects were displaced by the invisible battle.

"I like being kicked across Manhattan!" The invisible lemur squealed, the voice getting gradually farther away. This was just the distraction James needed. He certainly wasn't staying in that habitat again.

* * *

James trudged wearily through the zoo. The lack of sleep was starting to take its toll, yet he couldn't bring himself to enter another one of those habitats. James sneezed. Maybe he was going to die of pneumonia. That was when a strange sound caught his ears. He stopped unsure of whether he should investigate or get as far away as he could. He listened more closely. It sounded like… someone sobbing? The sound was so sad, James felt an undeniable urge to somehow assist. The unfortunate penguin followed the sound to the otter habitat, despite the fact that he had learned from experience never to investigate anything in this clearly haunted zoo. He climbed over the fence and onto the centre island. The sound seemed to be coming from inside the cave. James cautiously poked his head around the side of the cave. Inside was a figure, hunched over what looked like a tape recorder, it was too dark to see who it was.

"Hello…?" he whispered tentatively. The figure gave no indication that she had heard him or noticed his presence. James entered the cave, each step small and cautious, as if he were stepping on dynamite. Now that he was closer, he had a better look at the weeping woman. She was an otter, with chocolate brown fur, who would have been quite beautiful had she not been crying, "Miss? Are you okay?" James stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "It's okay…?" His hand passed right through her. James stumbled backwards as she slowly faded away. It took James a few seconds to regain his nerve, before approaching the place the woman had once stood. He looked at the tape recorder. It was a small, hand held device, though quite dated judging by the fact that it recorded the sound onto a cassette tape. James wasn't entirely sure what a cassette tape was but, he'd heard his parents mention it once or twice. There were six buttons: record, play, fast forward, rewind, pause and stop, plus an on/off switch. James pressed play. The result sounded like a strange, almost inaudible whisper. James looked at the tape. Had he played it right? He pressed stop, rewind, then start. He was playing it right. Maybe the tape was damaged, or it was somehow encrypted.

"Push red button." James wheeled around. In front of him was a penguin, about his age. James stood up, holding his wings in front of him defensively.

"Who…Who are you?" James stuttered. He was cornered. The penguin in front of him extended a wing, with a friendly smile, yet strangely sad smile. James would have mistaken him for a normal penguin was he not somewhat transparent. So that's what the lemurs meant by a 'non transparent penguin'.

"Push red button." He replied. James looked at the wing gingerly, then looked back at the penguin. Finally he extended his wing, somewhat cautiously, half expecting the spectral penguin to bite it off. They shook hands, the penguins grip cold and clammy, but definitely solid. James was unsure if that made it better or worse.

"Hi, um, Push Red Button. I'm… I'm James. James Stacy." James looked down at the tape recorder. There were no red buttons. The other penguin must have meant another red button, though he could see no other buttons in the cave. In fact, all the cave contained, apart from the furniture, was a photograph of the disappearing otter with a flat headed penguin, there other penguins, including the transparent one in front of him standing further back.

"Push red button." The other penguin walked towards the exit motioning for James to follow. James did so, cautiously at first.

* * *

Along the walk the two had somewhat warmed to each other. James had taken to calling his new friend Button, since Push Red Button was a bit long. They'd actually gotten on quite well, despite the fact Button's conversation was limited to "push red button." However he was able to convey a fair bit with motions and gestured. Suddenly, he stopped.

"Push red button." He pointed at one of the bushes. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a penguin poked his head out, scrutinising James for a few seconds before leaping out, a huge grin on his face.

"Thank goodness, a living penguin!" He exclaimed, then noticed button's hurt expression, "sorry Private, I didn't mean…"

"Push red button." Private replied, as if to say: "That's okay."

"Who are you?" James asked. This new penguin looked solid, but then that otter woman did too.

"Agent Nigel at your service, my dear boy," Nigel sighed, "My word, I haven't seen a live penguin in years."

**I got the idea for Private only being able to say Push red button from the episode of Young Justice, Secret. And no, a red button was not the last thing Private saw before he allegedly died. I didn't mention Private's English accent earlier because I didn't want to make it obvious (and I wasn't sure which penguin I was going to use as 'button'.**


	4. Alone

"Wait, you're that penguin they called Captain?" James asked. He'd heard the original team's names were Captain, Lunicorn, Rico and Ski.

"No, you're thinking of Skipper," Nigel replied, "He's… not with us… anymore"

"I'm sorry…"

"One of the best commanders I've ever seen."

"Push red button." Buttons, or as he was called now, Private nodded sadly.

"Anyway, mustn't dwell on the past if the future is in danger." Nigel pulled out a map of the zoo from the bushes he was hiding in, except this map had a whole bunch of extra lines drawn on it in crayons of different colours.

"Um… Agent Nigel, sir, what do all those lines represent?" James asked.

"Well, really it's most secret, but I'll tell you this: just like any good commander, Skipper built hundreds of escape tunnels and hiding places about the zoo, though he learned the escape tunnels necessity the hard way. Anyhow, this is a map of most of them. I believe we should be able to escape now that I am no longer on my own."

"Why couldn't you escape before, if you had the map?"

"Well, like I said, like any good leader, Skipper built escape tunnels. Unfortunately for us, he filled those escape tunnels with booby traps. In order to diffuse those traps, I will need a second pair of wings." Nigel replied, studying the map. James considered asking what happened to the rest of the retrieval teams, but he actually didn't want to know, "Ah ha! We have our escape route!"

"Push red button!" Private shouted joyously. James also considered asking why he seemed only capable of saying Push red button, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer to that either.

* * *

Once again James stood on the ice floe in the middle of the penguin habitat, though he couldn't see any importance in this, since there didn't seem to be any entrances to the tunnels or a base. They had already tried the manholes, on James' request , he didn't want to go back to that penguin habitat; however they found that they had all been welded shut. So they were left with no choice but to enter via the penguin habitat, which according to Nigel, was the Grand Central of the tunnel network. Though, by this, James was unsure if he meant that the habitat was linked to the most tunnels, or if it had a ceiling painted with stars. Nigel walked up to the fish bowl, seemingly unafraid of the on and off dead fish. He placed a flipper under the bowl as if to pick it up, but instead it opened outwards like a door, its rusted hinges creaking. Immediately, Nigel jumped into the hole this unveiled, pulling a flashlight out of a small bag he carried. James approached the edge of the hole.

"What are you waiting for?" Nigel shouted up at him. James looked through the hole. Inside it was pitch black, except for the small part of the room illuminated by the older penguin's flashing.

"I'm not sure I want to go down there…" James took a few steps back from the hole.

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" Nigel replied impatiently.

"I… I don't want to meet any…"

"Ghosts? I assure you, when I knew them, they were all quite pleasant."

"Still, the exploding lava one…"

"Exploding lava one? Now that's one I never heard of. Now get down here before I leave without you." James reluctantly climbed down the rusted rungs of the ladder. He knew Nigel was bluffing about leaving him behind, since he was vital to Nigel's escape, but he still didn't relish the thought of being left alone even for the few minutes Nigel would wait to prove his point.

* * *

They were now walking through one of the escape tunnels, James regretting entering more and more with every step coming down here. The flashlight cast eerie shadows on the tunnel's walls, which were made of earth, with plastic spoons as supports.

"Agent Nigel, sir?" James broke the silence, "I was wondering… how did you end up in the zoo?" James was almost certain the man had been part of one of the teams sent to investigate the first team's disappearance, though he wanted to hear it from the penguin's own beak.

"How I ended up in the zoo? Well, as you may have guessed I was on one of the two teams sent to investigate. Not officially, but I had some friends in high places and managed to secure myself a position as a consultant and navigator, since I knew the layout of the HQ and escape tunnels from previous visits."

"Why did you want to enter the zoo?" James asked bewildered. Surely Nigel didn't want to go there for fun.

"Do you remember the young fellow, you affectingly named Button, well he was my nephew. He was on the first team that disappeared. He was their Private. Anyway, I was down here, quite close to where we are now scouting the tunnels for evidence, the rest of the teams topside when they disappeared. I probably would have too, if I hadn't been an unofficial member, and so off the official list. Anyway, when I poked my head topside… well, I'm not sure the sight would be suitable for me to describe to a boy of your age. Suffice to say, I was on my own. Since then, I met up with my nephew, and tried to escape. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, young Private isn't exactly solid, so I found I was unable to escape alone. With no other options, I was simply forced to hide. That was until you arrived."

"I'm sorry about your team…"

"Wasn't the first time that's happened to me. I suppose one learns to deal with loss after a few years in this business." James didn't know whether to be horrified or saddened by Nigel's answer. The penguin had just brushed off the death of his fellow teammates like it was a small inconvenience. Well, he couldn't exactly complain, Nigel was the best he had at the moment. Maybe it was better if he didn't stop to think about the ethical implications of his current situation.

"So… what happened to the zoo?"

James could barely see the other penguin's expression, as the only light source was the flashlight Nigel was carrying. Still, he noticed a slump in the shoulders, the head lowering, followed by an almost inaudible sigh. James got the feeling he really shouldn't have asked that question.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that. Now listen, what I'm about to tell you isn't the healthiest thing to know, but if you play the tape…"

"The tape in the otter habitat?"

"Yes. If you play the tape…" Nigel grabbed his through with his flippers, as if he was somehow being strangled by some invisible being. James was frozen in shock, unable to assist. Suddenly Nigel was jerked downwards towards the floor. A deep depression was formed across his neck, as if some invisible rope were being used to pull him towards the ground. Nigel struggled, his eyes bulging, his face going blue. The flashlight was thrown across the tunnel as he writhed in agony, "Red button…" he choked. His struggles became weaker and weaker until... he stopped all together. It was then that whatever invisible force was attempting to drag him down prevailed. The ground around the writhing penguin collapsed, taking the agent with it. No sooner had the earth crumbled away, than it replaced itself, as if it were a film being played backwards.

It was several minutes before James was able to move. "Agent Nigel?" James looked about the section of tunnel illuminated by the flashlight dropped by the vanished penguin. James could see nor here no one. The terrified penguin looked down at the patch of earth the penguin had disappeared into. It looked no different. James would have thought whatever had happened was simply his imagination, except for the fact that Nigel was gone. That was when the noise started.

**I know your all going to hate me for killing Nigel (or did I? Mwahahahahaha!) Back to the point, if any of you have any guesses as to what Nigel was trying to say about the tape, I'd love to hear them, since I haven't even made up my mind yet. Also a special thanks to all those who've reviewed.**


	5. The Inescapable Escape Tunnels

That weird whispering sound he had heard on the tape in the otter habitat echoed through the tunnels. James hadn't thought it could get any creepier, but this certainly passed muster. The lone penguin charged down the passage. He didn't care if he hit one of the penguin's traps and died, he was better dead than alive in here; anyway, since he'd entered, he hadn't seen any traps. Click. That didn't sound good. Less than a second later the tunnel erupted into fire. James barely managed to dive aside, the feathers on his back singed. Why did the traps have to activate now, just when he was no longer an expert on avoiding those kind of things. He looked up at the roaring inferno in front of him, created by four giant flamethrowers embedded in the walls. He took back what he thought about his lack of concern for his own mortality. He didn't want to be barbecued.

"I can't get through, Skipper." A voice shouted. That was when the flames parted slightly, revealing a dark figure, like the silhouette penguin.

"Great pizza with anchovies, Kowalski! Why can't you get through?" Another voice shouted.

"I don't know Skipper, but we have to. Rico's getting pretty hungry." The first penguin replied. The fire returned to normal. James wasn't going to stick around to find out what this Rico penguin got like when he was hungry. Nigel had said he could regurgitate explosives. James ran down the passage in the opposite direction to the flames. Suddenly a gigantic axe swept just above his head. Never before had he been so glad to be the shortest in his class. James looked down just in time to spot a thin wire stretched across the floor. He jumped over it. Had he not done so, it would have removed the pin from a grenade, and I don't think a description of what comes next is necessary.

"_Evasive!"_ an echoing voice, the same voice as the one that had replied to the flame parting being, but somehow younger. It sounded like how they make memories sound in films. Very funny, strange supernatural beings, James probably would have retorted, if he hadn't been running for his life. James stumbled backwards as two giant jets of scalding hot steam shot up from the floor. He didn't remember any of these traps when he entered.

"I like being all glowy and see-throughy," the high pitched lemur from earlier screeched. As soon as the jets of steam cleared James raced forward, ignoring the fact that he was actually heading back towards the penguin habitat.

_"No, I mean, we already have 14 escape tunnels, isn't that enough?"_

_"Manfridi and Johnson thought so, and what was left of them came home in a Manila envelope."_

The voices were once again echoed and, well, memory like, the first sounding a lot like Private, and the other like the one that had replied to the silhouette in the flames. James ducked into a smaller tunnel leading off from the main one. Hopefully it didn't have as many traps. He certainly didn't want to come home in a manila envelope. Unfortunately, the tunnel was barely wide enough to fit him. He belly slid through, cursing the extra salted kipper snacks he so often ate.

James' head slammed into the wall. The tunnel was a dead end. He was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic now that his end-up-as-a-barbecued-penguin-phobia had somewhat passed. He could see the obstruction looked like a pile of rocks, though how difficult the pile would be to move, there was no indication. Hopefully, it would give way with enough force. He pushed against the wall with his flippers. The wall was quite solid.

_"It's collapsed, Johnson! Oh tuna, it's caved in we're trapped." _James heard yet another echoing voice, different from the ones before shout in terror.

_"What the pickled herring do you mean it's caved in, Manfridi. We're at a dead end. We have to get through." Another voice replied, the level of panic equal two the first, but slightly angrier, "It has to move!" _This was followed by a horrific scream. James began to shuffle backwards, as the tunnel was too small for him to turn around, hoping that whoever had spontaneously decided to tell their life story in melodramatic echoy memories was not behind him

James exited the tunnel, inspecting the room he emerged into, which was certainly not the trap filled tunnel he was inspecting to find. Instead he found himself back in the main living area of the HQ. So now he was back to where he started. He looked back at the space in the wall from which he had come. It had disappeared. A few hours ago James would have found this terrifying, though now it had become near to common place. His flashlight flickered. That normally wasn't a good sign.

"Push red button. Push red button. Push red button…" a voice, not Private's, an American accented one repeated.

"Don't push the red button. Don't push the red button…" another voice repeated over top of the first. The shadows seemed to thicken as if they were closing in on him. Closer. Closer. It was then that James realized they were not shadows, that they were, in fact two penguins. The first penguin, was fairly short, though not as short as him, with a flat head and unnaturally red eyes, his skin, like Private's, was transparent and, unlike Private, glowed a slight red. Looked pretty evil. The other was a tall, it's skin grayish green and slightly rotted, with a streak of white on the feathers on the top of his head; however, occasionally he'd flicker, changing, for but a fraction of a second. The change was too fast for James to see just what the other creature was, but the one he could see didn't look particularly nice. With every step they took towards him, James took a step away.

"Push red button…"

"Don't push the red button…" James' back hit something hard, hopefully not a wall. James looked behind him. Thankfully it was a door. He opened it slamming it behind him and locking it.

He looked around. It looked like it had once been a lab or something. Broken test tubes and beakers littered the floor, as well as some mysterious stains. James searched the room franticly. There had to be a way out. He could already hear those two, whatever they were, banging against the door, trying to knock it down. He didn't have long. He noticed an air vent on the back wall, but heavy metal bars prevented him from climbing through. That was when he noticed the tape recorder. It was, or at least looked like the one in the otter habitat.

_"If you play the tape…"_

Nigel was obviously going to say something else after that. Probably something about playing the tape. But how else could one play a cassette tape?

_"Play the tape…"_

Play the tape… slowly? Quickly? The tiny machine could only play, stop and rewind. James snatched a broken beaker from the table, throwing it across the room in frustration. There was that strange noise again. James looked about the room for its source. It was an old, extremely decrepit reel to reel recording machine. The beaker he had thrown must have hit the on switch. He looked at the controls. There were plenty of other switches labeled, ¾ speed, ½ speed, etc. Maybe whatever was done to encrypt or change the tape was done on that machine, than re-recorded on the smaller. There was an echo on the smaller, so it was possible it was a recording of another recording… James speed up the tape. He could still make no sense of it. Bang. Bang, bang. The door wouldn't hold much longer. James slowed down the tape. No improvement.

_"Play the tape…"_

Play the tape…? Play the tape… backwards? James tried it. That was the moment the door broke down.

"Push red button. Push red button…"

"Don't push the red button. Don't push the red button…"

"Skipper's log. I'm recording this in case someone should…" The tape began. The taller penguin made a lunge for James. He sidestepped, running to the other side of the room. Smash! The penguin crashed into the machine, breaking the tape in half. The recording stopped. James looked around for a weapon. There weren't any, at least not in reach. That was when James saw it. A red button. The red button. He didn't know how he knew, but somehow his gut told him that the red button on the crazy looking contraption next to him was The Red Button.

"Push the red button…"

"Don't push the red button…"

Should he push the red button? Who was right? Nigel had said "red button" but he could have been about to continue, red button blows up the world, or something else he didn't want to do. The two penguins were only feet away. It was in that split second, that he pushed the red button.

**Happy Halloween everyone! Anyway, the fourteen escape tunnels quotes came from the episode The Red Squirrel. I got the idea for the backwards tape from an old Spiderman TV show (not from playing records backwards thank you very much). Anyway, from now on this story will no longer be updated daily, sorry, but I've put two other stories on hold to get this chapter done by Halloween (there is a reason for that), and I'm sure those readers are not too happy about that. **


	6. The Siege

Five Years, Seven Months, Two Days, and 12 Hours Ago

"Look Krys," Skipper punched the wall, his flipper recoiling in pain, "I've got Hans running around the zoo doing leopard seal knows what, according to Kowalski the Blue Hen is trying to rig the elections in Delaware, and Blowhole, well he's doing something. I don't have time to go around scrubbing graffiti from walls." Krystillis' cyan eyes glared at her cousin.

"I was hoping you'd help me discover my past! I don't want you to scrub the name off the wall, I want Kowalski to analyse it!" She retorted, "Were you even listening to anything I said?"

"You have a team, Krystillis, why do you need mine to go look at a wall," Skipper turned around, his bloodshot eyes betraying his lack of sleep.

"You know I hate it when you call me Krystillis!" Skipper turned back to the wall.

"And I hate it when you give me pointless missions while I'm already on twenty four hour alert."

"Pointless?! Skipper this is my past we're talking abou…" Skipper continued to ignore her. Krys shook her head, exasperated, "You're hopeless!" She stormed out of the HQ. Skipper glared at the wall as if it was its' fault he wasn't in the best of moods, though considering the stress he was operating under, he was doing pretty well.

"Why'd you have to turn up now, Krys." Skipper muttered, turning around, only then noticing the New Zealander had left, "Kowalski, status report!" Skipper shouted. He could hear a scuffle of feet on the roof, then the lieutenant scrambled down the ladder, standing to attention in front of his leader.

"Yes sir." Kowalski knew better than to mess with Skipper when he was tired.

"Give me the status report." Skipper snapped.

"Sir, maybe you should take a quick nap. You haven't been getting enough…"

"I said, status report!"

"Yes sir. There hasn't been much change in the past 24 hours. Hans is still holed up in the reptile habitat. We can't get near him, since he seems to have formed an alliance with Barry. We know the Blue Hen is in New York, and trying to sabotage the elections in Delaware with some ray she's created. I didn't know inventing was her style…"

"Kowalski, stay on topic."

"Anyway, we have reason to believe that she plans to use that as a distraction, and actually plans to destroy the zoo. Oh, and Blowhole is off on another one of his revenges. However, I don't believe he'll attack before at least next week. That should give us a week per villain to deal with them."

* * *

"What was that you said, about a week each." Skipper shouted sarcastically over the gunfire, or more accurately, ray fire.

"It would seem I was wrong," Kowalski shouted back, ducking into the fishbowl entrance to the habitat, just in time to avoid losing his head to a bluish purple ray blast, "I overlooked the possibility that they would all attack on, well the same day." Despite the danger, skipper still found time to slap his lieutenant across the face.

"Skippah! The barricade isn't going to last much longer!" Private shouted from the other side of the habitat. He and Rico were desperately trying to keep the crude barricade form collapsing under the strain of Blowhole's siege machine. The arch nemesis was trying to get into the HQ via the escape tunnels. Did he ever try to get in another way?"

Suddenly a sound of creaking metal reached Skipper's ears. He left Kowalski to hold the fishbowl entrance, and ran into the lab. Sure enough Hans had removed the ventilation shaft cover, and was in the process of lowering himself to the floor. Why hadn't Kowalski blocked that up since the incident with the jiggli? Skipper rushed out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"Hans is in!" Skipper screamed. A glowing orange line appeared along the side of the door, slowly tracing it's way around the steel door, "Kowalski, he's cutting through. Give me some options, dammit!"

Kowalski ducked down as another blast of the ray, Kowalski didn't exactly know what he did, but he didn't think he'd like the result, flew over his head. Immediate he bobbed up, firing a freeze ray back at his attacker, "Do whatever Private's doing!" Kowalski shouted.

"I need some better options than that!"

"Well the Blue Hen isn't exactly giving me time to think."

"Rico, can you seal this door." Rico turned around. For once, the psychopathic penguin's face displayed real fear.

"Busy!"

"Hoover Dam, people how the hell did this happen?" Skipper grabbed a fish from the table, pointing it at the door. He couldn't stop Hans getting in, but he could put up a decent fight once he did.

The first thing Private noticed was the pain of being thrown half way across the room. His head swam, and he feared he'd lose consciousness, but he forced his eyes open. His heart nearly jumped out of his mouth when he did, for the first thing he saw was the extremely blurred, though unmistakable, form of Dr Blowhole. This really wasn't his day.

"Over cooked crumpets!" Private exclaimed, scrambling to his feet, only to be dragged back towards the escape tunnel by an array of lobsters, "Rico! Skipper! Kowalski!" Private screamed. Rico was nowhere to be seen, and Skipper and Kowalski had enough problems of their own. Private began to thrash against his captors. Something hard, probably the entrance to the tunnel hit his head, and sent him back to the throbbing, blurry netherworld that came with a nasty bump on the cranium.

Rico managed to dive behind the table in the centre of the room, so was missed by a majority of the shrapnel. Private, he noticed, wasn't so lucky. Rico had just discovered a newfound hatred for energy blast battering rams. Rico immediately regurgitated a rocket launcher, perhaps not the smartest choice indoors, but it would hopefully give the deranged dolphin leaning over his friend as bad a headache as he had. Then again, the proximity to Private might be… Oh, what the mackerel! Rico raised the weapon, aiming it at the dolphin. He felt someone poke him in the back. He turned around expecting it to be Skipper asking for the weapon. Suddenly the world began to swim. The room heated up, becoming an oven. Rico hit the floor, flamethrower in hand. His attacker smirked.

"Well, that was easy."

**By the way, Krystillis Malanis (AKA Krys or Krystal) belongs to Sweetpanda12. Special thanks to her for allowing me to use Krys. I loved writing for her. The wall is a reference to all that is known of her backstory, once again provided by Sweetpanda12.**

**If any of you are wondering why the Blue Hen's strategy is a little too… out of character, she is up to something else.**


	7. Five Angry Supervillains

Skipper watched as the glowing red line of molten metal slowly circled the door. In less than a few seconds, Hans would be in. Skipper's grip on his fish tightened. It was up to him to keep him out. Finally the two lines met, and Skipper took a few steps back, to avoid being crushed by the door that was soon after kicked down. Hans smiled victoriously. In his wing, was also a fish. He took a step forward.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" He stumbled backwards in pain. The door was burning hot after being cut with the laser. Skipper saw his opportunity. It was too big a jump to get to the other side of the door without burning his feet, but Hans was momentarily stunned, and this was an opportunity he didn't want to miss. He decided to take the risk, tossing the fish at his 'frenemy'.

The fish sailed through the air towards the puffin, skipper awaiting the wet slap of impact. He heard the fish hit, though it wasn't the puffin, but the wall. Skipper growled. The fish would have hit, had Hans not tripped over one of the test tubes, and fallen flat on his face, just as the fish sailed over his head.

"Rico, fish me again!" Skipper shouted, keeping his eyes on his enemy. However the voice that replied was not Rico's, but higher pitched, and well, far more understandable.

"I'm afraid Rico is not available. May I take a message?" This was followed by a burst of maniacal laughter.

"Blowhole!" skipper exclaimed, turning around.

"Red ones, bring me the pen-gu-in." The dolphin ordered. Slap. A fish hit the leader in the back of the head. Skipper wobbled dizzily, before finally falling to the floor. Blowhole looked behind the now unconscious penguin, to see Hans, who had tossed the fish. Blowhole's minions advanced, intending to retrieve the penguin, assuming that there wasn't much Hans could do about it. Or so they thought. From one of the table s behind him Hans pulled a strange looking contraption that looked like a robotic hand attached to an extendable lattice of metal. Had Kowalski not been otherwise occupied, he would have told him that it was called the extend-o-grab. Hans fired it at Skipper, grabbing the penguin's leg. He then pressed a button on the device, and the hand shot back towards him, dragging Skipper with it. Luckily for Skipper, he was pulled back fast enough that he barely touched the searing hot door.

Blowhole glared at his lobster army as Hans began to drag his quarry down the air duct.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Get them!" He shouted. One of the lobsters near the front tentatively took a step forward and onto the metal door. Immediately he recoiled in pain.

"I'm sorry, but we can't get past." The lobster replied. He didn't relish certainty of experiencing his leaders wrath, but between that and crossing the door, it seemed the lesser of two evils. This was, probably, the last thing he thought, since Blowhole almost instantly decided to vaporized the unfortunate henchman. He looked up from the smoking ashes that once made up a lobster, and at the other members of his army, snarling like wild animal. The lobsters closest to him flinched, awaiting a similar fate to the smoking remains. Instead the infuriated dolphin slammed a flipper into the wall. Hans was already gone.

* * *

Kowalski ducked under another blast, but something didn't feel right. He turned around. First of all, Private was gone. When he looked for Rico, he found his skin was covered with green, puss filled bumps, and his skin was pale. Behind him was a grinning red and blue poison dart frog, who was doing his best, despite his size, to drag the penguin out of the HQ via the 'Private's first prize' entrance. It was then that he noticed the gigantic dolphin now standing in front of his laboratory.

"What the carbon 13!" Kowalski exclaimed. The dolphin turned around. This really wasn't good. Blowhole began to drive forward.

"Well, at least I have this pen-gu-in," Blowhole rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean at least?" Kowalski protested. He turned around on the ladder, so he was now facing Skipper's arch nemesis, "I may not be the leader ,but…" Kowalski was interrupted when he was snatched up through the hole, by what seemed like a gigantic, robotic hand. Blowhole stared up through the surprisingly undamaged exit, to see the only other penguin being dragged away by a snail in a giant robot suit. The dolphin vaporized another lobster out of pure frustration. This day really wasn't going the way he'd planned.

* * *

"What do you want, Blue Hen, and giant robot snail henchman guy?" Hans demanded.

"Hey, I'm nobody's henchman," the snail in the robot suit protested, "Me and the hen are partners."

"I think we all want the same thing, or similar things." Blowhole replied, ignoring the snail. The five villains were holding their meeting in the petting zoo, which had quickly emptied as soon as they felt the earth shake. The five villains didn't really care that they were standing in the centre of the zoo. With the penguins missing, the rest of the zoo didn't pose much of a serious threat. Even Joey, who was too formidable even for Skipper, knew he didn't stand a chance against a giant robot suit.

"Well we all seemed to have failed at our objectives." Barry admitted. The four other villains turned around, glaring at him. They all knew what he said was true, but it wasn't the kind of thing you were supposed to say out loud.

"He's new to this." Hans excused. The Blue Hen shrugged.

"Well, the first thing we should do is work out where we all stand." She stated, "Firstly, I want Rico. I believe his ability to regurgitate just about anything will be useful in the competitive and rapidly changing battleground of politics, but I have Kowalski."

"You mean you want to be able to sneak weapons past metal detectors," Blowhole smirked. Blue hen rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I want Skipper, for obvious reasons, but I have Private."

"I have Skippar, but I want Kowalski, so he can fix my coffee machine." Hans added.

"I want Private, revenge for forcibly hugging me, and I have Rico." Barry finished. The five villains looked at each other.

"Alright, I'll start," the Blue Hen spoke, "Barry, I'll trade you Kowalski for Rico."

"Wait a minute!" Dale protested, "You said I could have Kowalski." He moved a gigantic fist over the relatively smaller creature threateningly.

"I know what I said, but I want Rico." She replied.

"If you…" The Blue Hen pulled a remote control out of seemingly thin air. She flipped the switch. The Next-o-Skeleton froze, then stood up strait, the first moving away from Blue Hen's head.

"You don't really have a choice in the matter. You never should have allowed me to make those 'repairs'," Dale banged against the glass, attempting to get out, but he was locked inside. It had never occurred to him that she would build in backup controls, "Moving on."

"Why would I want Kowalski?" Barry shook his head, "Blowhole, I'll trade you Rico for Private."

"In case you misunderstood me, I have absolutely no interest in Rico." Blowhole replied.

"Well we've found ourselves in quite a pickle." Blue Hen announced. The four villains thought about this for a few moments. Finally Hans spoke.

"I think I may have a solution."


	8. No Honour Among Thieves

"It's quite simple," Hans explained, "Now, by making three simple trades, we should all end up with the right penguin, without fear of double cross. Now, first me and Barry swap captives, so now I have Rico, and he has Skipper. Then I trade Blowhole Rico for Private. At the same time, Barry trades the Blue Hen Skipper for Kowalski. Finally, Blowhole trades Blue Hen Rico for Skipper, and I give Barry Private in exchange for Kowalski." The other villains stared at the puffin blankly.

"That sounds a little complicated," Blowhole commented.

"Would you prefer us to start world war three when one of you double crosses the other?" The four villains, now four since Dale no longer had much of a choice, considered this.

"Alright, we'll meet here tomorrow, at 5.00pm, with our penguins." Blue Hen stated. The villains dispersed.

Hans followed Barry back to the reptile house. They had a somewhat shaky alliance, at least until Hans had invented a tree frog venom vaccination. Still, they kept their penguins in separate locations.

"So everything went according to plan B?" Barry asked.

"Yes, so far," Hans slid back some leaves concealing a detangibilizeation ray, "I can't believe they fell for that."

"So if everything goes to plan, we'll get all the penguins?" Barry asked.

"How many times have I explained it to you? We trade penguins just like I said we would, but as soon as Blowhole and the Blue Hen begin the final trade, in other words paying attention to each other, not us, we simply de tangibilze them," Hans smiled deviously at his latest creation, "A fate worse than death. Still very much alive, but unable to do something as simple as pick up an apple."

Blowhole's maniacal laughter echoed through the empty penguin HQ.

"Um, excuse me, Dr Blowhole, what's so funny?" Private asked, poking his head through the bars of his cage. He had a splitting headache, and a sudden craving for peanut butter winkies, but otherwise he was okay.

"What am I laughing at?" Blowhole turned around to face his captive, "I'm laughing at Hans, that silly little frog, and the Blue Hen's stupidity!"

"I don't get it?" Private asked. Blowhole rolled his eyes.

"It's quite simple. Not only am I going to get Skipper, but the rest of your friends, not to mention put three very annoying competitors out of business."

"I still don't get it."

"Alright, I'll put it this way. I am going to double cross all of them as soon as I have skipper. How am I going to do this? I'm going to use my…" Blowhole hit a button on his Segway.

"Concentrated Energy Beam Firing Device." Hidden speakers boomed.

"…to blast them to pieces as soon as the trade is complete. Of course there is obviously the chance of accidentally hitting one of your friends, but I'm going to kill them any way so it doesn't matter." Blowhole, now finished explaining his scheme, drove out of the room. Private panicked. If Blowhole double crossed the other villains, there was a pretty decent chance his teammates, and him, would be caught in the crossfire. Private could see the invention in question on the other side of the room. The only problem was, he was in a cage.

It took him an hour, but he managed to traverse the room by slamming himself into the side of the cage, each time moving himself a few inches as the cage scooted forward. Now he was faced with the problem of disarming it. He examined the device. A few years ago, Kowalski had built something similar. He'd explained to Private that a CEBFD (Concentrated Energy Beam Firing Device) worked by carefully combining Maguffium two, with Muiffugam one in a contained space. The reaction would create huge levels of energy, which was then channelled at the desired target. Invisibility rays worked the same way, only with less Maguffium. Private looked about the machine until he saw the fuel jettison button, which he immediately pressed. A glowing purple liquid poured from the side of the machine, becoming a dull black as it hit the floor, spoiled. Hopefully Blowhole wouldn't check the fuel gauge before he used the CEBFD. Private began to shuffle back towards the other side of the room. Being caught next to the CEBFD would be suspicious. However, unknown to Private, as soon as he'd released his flipper from the button, the draining had stopped. This meant there was only half the amount of Maguffium, turning the machine into an invisibility ray.

The Blue Hen had moved into the petting zoo, the inhabitants had fled as soon as she approached with the next-o-skeleton. She tinkered with the same purple ray she had been firing at Kowalski earlier, all noise blocked out by a pair of earmuffs; just in case Kowalski tried anything. She liked to think she was over him, but it was still a possible liability. She'd known they would attack at the same time; at least it was probable that at least two of them would attack simultaneously. The original plan had been to use the other attacks as a smoke screen, but she'd mistaken Kowalski for Rico, which is why she had simply used brute force. There was no need to form out an intricate plan for Rico. Still, she had a backup plan. As soon as she had received Rico, she would simply take out the others with her atomic instability beam, and get all the penguins.

The four villains met, Dale was no longer necessary, each dragging a penguin behind them.

"Gentlemen, and lady," Hans announced, "Shall we begin?" the four villains nodded.

"You guys aren't seriously trying to work together…" Skipper laughed.

"Shut up or I'll freeze your wing off," Hans threatened. Skipper grudgingly fell silent, "Now me and Barry will proceed with the first trade." Hans shoved Skipper, bound wing and foot, into the no man's land between the two villains, Barry doing the same with Rico, who was still under the effects of the poison. Then, at the same time, the two villains each took charge of their newly acquired penguin, and returned to their places.

"And now the second trade?" Blowhole asked. Hans nodded. Rico, and Private were once again moved to the middle, and the same procedure Barry and Hans used was enacted, the Blue Hen and Barry doing the same. Finally, it was time for the third and last trade.


	9. Varying Degrees of Intangibility

**Well, most of you guessed what happened, but oh well, I'll write it anyway.**

**Well, most of you guessed what was going to happen. Oh well, I'll write it anyway.**

Hans nodded to Barry. The tree frog edged towards the bushes in which the detangiblization ray was hidden. "Well, the third and final trade. Shall we?" Hans did his best to hide a devious smile. Unbeknownst to him, his 'business partners' were hiding similar expressions.

Like the previous two trades, the penguins were pushed forward into a kind of middle ground, where each party would accept their prisoner. The four criminals had barely returned to their own corners of the imaginary square when each dived for their inventions. The four beams met in the centre, seemingly cancelling each other out. Then a multi coloured bubble of energy began to grow from the combined beams.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen," the Blue Hen thought out loud, though it occurred to none of the four to turn the machines off. Suddenly, the bubble exploded, the energy enveloping the zoo in less than a blink of an eye. Then it was gone. The stunned zoo residents looked around. Everything looked normal. It wasn't until they looked at themselves that they realized: it wasn't.

* * *

**Ten Years Later**

Private cautiously snuck up behind the visitor. The other penguin looked a lot like him, approximately his age, one or two inches taller, but otherwise quite similar. Leaves crunched under Private's feet. Immediately, the penguin ducked behind the floe, just as the other penguin turned around. The visitor looked scared, which wasn't surprising. Private had been scared the first night after the changes happened. He had been especially terrified when he found out he could only say 'push red button'. Kowalski had told him that it was due to damage, either in his throat or in his brain, caused by the Blue Hen's particle destabilizer. At least, he hadn't suffered the full effects of the invisibility ray and was, partially, visible, most of the time. Well, that wasn't so good now.

* * *

Kowalski was bored. He wasn't intangible, at least, most of the time. He wasn't glowing red like Skipper. He could escape any time he wanted. Still, he'd given his word, all the penguins had given their words, to remain in the zoo to make sure Blowhole and other villains stayed in the zoo. He'd seen how much damage Hans, who'd gone insane over years of varying tangibility, could do when he murdered the entire investigation team. Kowalski picked up a screwdriver and walked towards the fresherizer. Well, one of the good things about being stuck in a time anomaly, apart from never aging, was lots and lots of inventing time.

Suddenly he detangiblized, that happened every once and a while. The screwdriver passed through his wing, landing on the firing button for the fresherizer. A green beam shot out of the device, and out of the lab's open door. From there, it passed through one of the HQ's underwater windows and reflected upward off a shiny plastic wrapper stuck to the side of the empty pool. It then hit a part of the lamppost where the paint had been scratched away, leaving a shiny metal area about an inch squared, and bounced off into who-knows-where. Kowalski stared at the device. He had no idea what, or who, it hit. Hopefully it wasn't Skipper. Kowalski pressed the undo button and the invention fired a blue coloured beam, which then followed the same course as the green one. There, back to normal. Hopefully nobody noticed.

* * *

Hans had been watching the young penguin for some time. He'd heard the conversation between the two boys outside the zoo. A crazed smile lit up his face as watched the young penguin panic at the sight of the changing fish. It wasn't every day he got a new victim. Still, he was just scared, not terrified out of his mind. Hans was determined to change that. Now, what would a ghost say? He hadn't watched a horror film in a while, but he remembered a thing or two.

"Come back James…" Hans called, doing his best ghost impression. The young penguin froze. Hans smiled with sick delight.

"Ha ha, very funny Harvey." The new penguin's voice was brittle and nervous, "If you think this is a joke, nobody's laughing. Harvey…?" the boy replied. Hans nearly burst out laughing. He'd already gotten his little friend when the gullible fool had gone in after him. How heroic and stupid.

"Save us…" Hans continued. He didn't really need saving, though he would appreciate it if someone would kill those penguins for him. They never let him go anywhere. Still, it sounded like something ghost would say.

The young penguin took off across the path towards the gates. Hans could contain his laughter no longer. At least, he laughed until he realised his new 'toy' was getting away. He took off after the boy, and soon surpassed him, but there was nothing he could do. He was intangible. He squeezed his eyes shut focusing as hard as he could. Just a few seconds of tangibility… Hans opened his eyes, making a dive for the gates. He shut them just as the young penguin was about to escape. Hans smiled with cruel delight at the boy's terror; he could practically taste the fear. How he longed to use his brief moment of tangibility to kill the penguin right now. No, there was a decent chance he wouldn't get an opportunity like this for another few years. He was going to saver the moment; slowly wait for the boy to go mad, just like him, and then he would allow himself the pleasure of killing him.


	10. Rico, Cover the Private's Eyes

Blowhole had been trying to get the power back on for some time. He couldn't build world destroying inventions without power, and without world destroying inventions, life was pretty dull. "Not like that!" He shrieked as one of the lobsters switched a homemade generator into overdrive. For a few seconds there was power, but quickly enough, sparks began to fly from the other equipment. The inexperienced red ones had no choice but to switch it off, "Really?! Really?! Well, now you've blown it. We're going to have to replace all the equipment now!" Well, at least it was something to do. One of the lobsters looked up at his boss tentatively. The explosion had semi melded Blowhole to a dead body buried below. Johnson's body. He still flickered between the two forms, but he mostly looked like the decaying body of a penguin, who was already in pretty bad shape before he died. Looking at Blowhole's ten year old road kill like form was something the 'red ones' wanted to avoid as much as possible.

"Sorry boss." The lobster looked back at the floor as quickly as possible.

* * *

Hans continued to watch the younger penguin. He'd hoped the boy would find the body on his own, but when he noticed the penguin begin to leave, he realised he would have to give him a helping hand. Hans could see the penguins sabotaging a power cable on the wall above. Well, the more the merrier. Also, they had a flashlight. Perfect.

Hans climbed up the wall standing just behind the penguins, once again trying to force a moment of tangibility. He had no such luck.

"Great Isaac Newton's milkshake!" Kowalski exclaimed. He'd dropped his flashlight, "Permission to retrieve sir?"

"Negative," Skipper replied, "We can't risk being seen. We know Blowhole keeps tabs on us, and we want this kid to stay unnoticed by him as long as possible." Hans saw his chance. Come on moment of tangibility…

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! An alarm went off in Rico's stomach. He regurgitated the device.

"Skipper, the tracer we put on Hans indicates that he is with in… oh neutrinos, two meters." Kowalski exclaimed, "Wait, now he's moving… Skipper, he's going after the flashlight!"

"Rico, keep that flashlight away from him," Skipper ordered. Rico regurgitated a rocket launcher, "Without hurting the civilian." Rico shrugged, putting down the rocket launcher and regurgitating a fishing rod. It was dark enough that nobody would see the line.

Rico cast the line, catching the flashlight on the first attempt.

"Hans is approaching the flashlight," Kowalski warned.

"Push red button?" Private asked, motioning that they should give the young penguin the flashlight. Things were always a lot less scary if you could see them.

"Alright, Private. Rico, give the kid the flashlight." Skipper ordered. Rico pulled the flashlight away from Hans and towards the new penguin. The boy took a few steps back. Rico moved the flashlight forward the same distance. The boy took a few steps back.

"Tak' flashlight." Rico grumbled moving the flashlight forward again. Suddenly the hook dislodged, sliding over the switch and turning it on. The light illuminated some of the hay bales. Private stumbled backwards, falling off the wall into the habitat behind in shock. The other penguin was equally terrified and ran out of the habitat.

The four penguins climbed down to the other side. Skipper pushed the hay bales out of the way.

"Oh Tuna… Rico, cover the Private's eyes!" Skipper ordered, trying not to be sick himself, "Kowalski, analysis." Kowalski examined the dead penguin, allowing science to take over.

"Well, it would seem this is the same penguin as Rico saw on recon, referred to by our visitor as Harvey," Kowalski reported, "Cause of death was… his windpipe was ripped out with a metal object, probably a rake. Subject suffered physical trauma, including multiple broken bones, internal bleeding, and severe bruising, pre and post mortem, though mostly pre."

"This is why we keep psychopaths like Hans in the zoo," Skipper muttered, "Well, let's give him a proper burial. Even if we could send word to his folks, I think it would be kinder to have him simply declared missing."

* * *

Joey really wasn't having a good day. The last thing he needed was for some penguin to go trespassing on his property. Joey hadn't suffered the worst effects from the energy surge: he was invisible but not intangible. At least, that was before Kowalski got to him. He'd been desperate to return to normal, to get out of the zoo and back to Australia, or anywhere, other than the zoo. Kowalski had known this, and offered to cure him. What he'd 'forgotten' to mention, was that the cure was untested. Joey had been so desperate to return to normal, that it hadn't occurred to him to wonder why Kowalski didn't ask one of the other penguins to test it, or more likely, test it himself.

Kowalski had put him through extremely painful treatments, and hours of testing only to tell him that the experiment had somewhat failed. Only his skeleton and parts of his organs were visible, giving the impression he was some kind of zombie skeleton, with partially decomposed organs. Kowalski, naturally, had been kicked across the zoo for that, but it didn't change the fact that other animals couldn't look at him without flinching. He didn't blame them; he couldn't look at himself in the mirror either.

**I've missed out some of the more obvious events (Roy, Phil and Mason, and Shelly all turned invisible etc.). So far I've just been explaining the 'ghostly happenings', but I hope to start on the Red Button and the backwards tape fairly soon.**


	11. Probably a Trap

"If anything will force Skipper to switch the power on, it's this." Blowhole explained to Darla.

"Well, alright… I mean, I am pretty annoyed at him for tryin' to set up that date between me and Julian. What was that penguin thinkin'…" Darla replied.

"Yes, I'm sure the experience was quite horrific, now, would you please put your groove in that jar?"

"Well, you understand, I'm only lending it to you. If you try an' keep that groove, me and my girls will kick your shape shiftin' hide into New Jersey."

"Yes, yes, I understand. Now, please put your groove in the jar."

"Maurice, Kowalski has fixed the boomy box thing. Come, we must party!" Julian announced. He was particularly jubilant as he had managed to get the boomy box by enlisting the chimpanzees to throw poo at the unfortunate penguin until he did. Well, they were all pretty bored, so it had been fun while it lasted. Kowalski, though he would never say this out loud, was secretly glad to be able to work on something other than his own inventions; looking at your own work got pretty boring after ten years. Maurice walked over to the boom box and started the music. At first the music started slow and tinny, "Maurice, dis is not acceptable!" He protested. Lightning flashed. Somehow lightning had some kind of control over his fluctuating invisibility, though not his eyes. They always remained invisible. His skin, well, you can blame Blowhole for that. It would seem a dolphin never forgets.

The arch enemy's fought atop the plastic volcano, Skipper desperately trying to keep Blowhole's attention on him so he wouldn't notice the sleeping penguin below.

"If you think I'm going to stand still and let you throw that groove at me…!" Skipper threatened.

"Well, you were supposed to be caught by surprise," Blowhole interrupted, "You know, get covered by groove before you even noticed I was there!"

"I've gotten bored in here, not stupid. Oh by the way, what do you think of my late best friend?"

"Not funny, Skipper!" Blowhole lunged forward, groove jar in wing/flipper. Skipper blocked, and the jar of groove was knocked into the volcano. A trail of pink sparkles swirled from the remains of the jar to the penguin huddled in the bottom of the volcano, "Well, what do we have here? Skipper jr?"

"You didn't see anything!" Skipper ordered, pushing the dolphin backwards off the volcano.

"What was that for!?"

* * *

The tape recorder and photograph were all that was left of Skipper. Marlene hadn't seen him since the day the green energy swept across the zoo. She liked to pretend he was still alive. That he'd somehow managed to get out of the zoo and would come back for her, yet she knew he was dead. What other reason would he have for not coming back? At least she had the photograph. She'd taken that years ago, long before the zoo went strange. She hadn't been able to move it, or anything else, due to her intangibility, so she just watched it collect dust. Then one day the tape recorder had appeared. She stepped out of the habitat for only a few seconds, and then it was there. It was Skipper's tape recorder, the Skipper's log. At first she'd thought he'd been trying to send a message to her, but when she played the tape, it was just strange whispery crackles.

_Skipper watched the otter through binoculars from a nearby habitat._

_"The recording must be kept safe at all costs." Kowalski reminded. Skipper nodded, lowering the binoculars._

_"Yeah," Skipper picked up the handheld tape recorder lying next to him, and stood up, "That's why I'm trusting Marlene with it."_

_"She thinks you're dead," Skipper didn't reply, simply staring off into space. Kowalski repeated the statement, "She thinks you're dead," Skipper still did nothing, "She cries for you. Every day." Skipper turned around._

_"You thought I didn't know that?"_

_"I thought you didn't care."_

_"Why do I spontaneously disappear a couple of times each day? I keep an eye on her; make sure Hans doesn't try his luck."_

_"Then why don't you tell her you're… not dead?"_

_"Private feinted when I returned to the HQ after the accident."_

_"You don't look…"_

_"I'm transparent and glowing red," Skipper smirked, "Don't sugar coat it, you haven't looked at me the same since the accident. I don't want Marlene to have to describe her boyfriend as the guy with glowing red eyes who scares the heck out of her."_

* * *

"Push red button!" Private shouted, frantically pointing at a lobster quickly disappearing into the bushes. Kowalski turned around, just in time to see its red claw vanish behind the leaves. The penguins were working in teams of two, Private and Kowalski sabotaging the power lines and Skipper and Rico trying to track down Blowhole. They reached the bushes in which the lobster had disappeared. The two penguins looked at each other, silently questioning the other on what they should do next.

"There is at least and 80% probability this is a trap." Kowalski muttered, but still followed the trail of rustling bushes towards the HQ

"So you followed a lobster here too?" Skipper asked suspiciously. Private nodded.

"95% chance it's a trap." Kowalski reported.

"Yes I know it's probably a trap," Skipper replied irritably, "But he's in our HQ!" Private nearly blurted out that Uncle Nigel was in the HQ too, but remembered that Skipper had ordered that all of them stay away from the penguin, to help prevent Hans and Blowhole noticing him. Private had been disobeying that order for some time, since the penguin needed food and water, and because private considered him their last hope to warn the other penguins what was really going on in the zoo. They couldn't hope to keep Hans in there forever.

"So… do we go in?" Private asked tentatively. The four penguins climbed down into the darkness.

The three penguins had gotten fairly deep into the escape tunnels when Blowhole spoke, "Lost yet pen-gu-ins?" Skipper looked around for the source of the voice.

"It's coming from a newly installed speaker system." Kowalski reported, pointing to a line of speakers, attached together by wires that seemed to go on forever.

"I know these tunnels like the back of my hand!" skipper retorted. This was followed by Blowhole's high pitched maniacal laughter, "Hey! What's so funny?"

"Then why don't you point to the tunnel that leads out?" Blowhole laughed. It was then that Skipper realised, he really was lost.

_Private had noticed the line of speakers as he followed the other penguins through the tunnels. They certainly hadn't been there before._

_"Push red button?" Private asked, pointing at the line of speakers, but Skipper didn't seem to hear him._

_"When I get my hands on that annoying dolphin…" Skipper continued to rant about Blowhole._

_"Push red button?"_

_"…and in my own HQ no less…" It was now pretty obvious Private wasn't going to get the leader's attention. Still, the way they were going, Private couldn't shake the feeling it was a trap. It was obvious that the speakers must have been installed by Blowhole, and that they would lead them right to them. Private turned in the opposite direction to the rest of the group, following the wire connecting the speakers._


	12. Blowhole Attacks

"Um, Dr Blowhole, that English penguin's getting pretty close to escaping." One of the lobsters reported. Blowhole turned around.

"Agent Nigel is here? I wondered where the small pen-gu-in kept disappearing to. Ingenious plan, keeping away from Nigel so I wouldn't discover him." Blowhole mused.

"But, um… wont him being here, y'know, mess up the plan?" the lobster replied. "

Yes, yes, it will. Well, send one of the invisible teams down there to pick him off. Take the re-assembler too, to put the passage back together after you've got Nigel; the new pen-gu-in, thinks the zoo is haunted, why spoil the fun for Hans?"

"Yes, Dr Blowhole."

Private slapped a flipper over his beak to stop himself from alerting the dolphin to his presence with a loud gasp of horror as he watched Nigel disappear into the ground on one of the many monitors surrounding the aquatic mammal. Private had been hiding behind the door to the small room, just off one of the main tunnels, that blowhole had turned into a control centre.

"Blowhole, one of the penguins is gone, probably sent to scout a way out!" One of the lobsters exclaimed, pointing to one of the monitors. Blowhole wheeled around, glaring at the unfolding scene.

"Switch the defences back on." Blowhole ordered.

"Um, Dr, remember the controls for the traps are down on level thirteen."

"Well, go switch them on!"

"We need your flipper print verification, since you reprogrammed the system to respond only to you." The lobster pointed out.

"Fine!" blowhole snapped. The dolphin and his followers filed out of the control room, through the entrance opposite to Private, leaving the control room empty.

Private approached the monitor, after first checking that he was completely alone. On the screen, he could see his teammates, hopelessly lost in the maze of tunnels they themselves had built.

"_Agent Nigel?_" Private's attention was drawn to the screen next to the one displaying the team, the screen on which Nigel had disappeared. It was then Private remembered, Nigel wasn't alone. Private could see the new penguin, James, wandering about in the dark, well he had a flashlight, searching for the agent. Private had to get him out of there fast, before Blowhole activated the defences. But what could he do?

The control panel Blowhole had set up, seemed to link all the data streams, computers, inventions, well, pretty much everything electronic except the escape systems, giving him control over pretty much everything. On the main screen, in the centre of the security monitors, was a collection of sound files, taken from various tape machines, set up to play through the speakers in the tunnels. The file currently highlighted, was named 'unknown', but Private was pretty sure he knew what it was.

_"Face it, Kowalski, there's a pretty decent chance we don't last until the rescue team arrives," Skipper told his lieutenant. Both penguins were in the lower ranking officer's lab, "Even if we don't make it, we have to make sure they know what happened, to make sure an accident like this never happens again." Skipper pressed the record button on Kowalski's reel to reel tape recorder, the small handheld one he carried, was strictly for the Skipper's log only, "Skipper's log. I'm recording this in case someone should attempt to investigate the strange happenings at the Central Park Zoo, and for whatever reason, me and my team are unavailable to tell you first hand. It all started when five deadly criminals, Blowhole, Hans the Puffin, Barry, the Blue Hen, and Dale, attacked simultaneously…"_

Private wasn't quite intangible, bout doing something as simple as pressing the play button, would be equivalent to a ten mile run through Jell-O. Still, if James knew what was going on, he would probably realise that he needed to get out of the zoo immediately. Even better, if he made it out, he would be able to tell the other penguins what really happened. Private climbed up onto the control panel, and took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy.

After several attempts Private was nearly out of breath, but had finally managed to press the play button. He waited for the familiar sound of Skipper's voice, but all that played was a strange, almost ghostly noise. Tinned sardines, he'd forgotten!

_Skipper switched off the recorder, "Alright, Kowalski. I'm done." The scientific penguin was making calculations on his clipboard, deep in thought. Finally he looked up._

_"Skipper, if for whatever reason, we don't make it, won't Blowhole, or Hans just destroy the tape, once they hear it?" Kowalski asked._

_"Well…" Suddenly Rico came running into the room._

_"'Ipper Bl'hole comin'!" He shouted, before ducking back out into the HQ, to check the defences. The team had been under siege on and off most of the week, but then, what else was there for an evil dolphin to do? The two penguins looked at each other._

_"Encrypt it!" Skipper ordered, "well don't just stand there, use one of your sciency do hickys!"_

_"Skipper, it's going to take at least half an hour to prepare the Encrypter with new keys." Kowalski replied. Skipper opened the door of the lab; he was needed on the front line._

_"Just do something to make it sound less like a message in a bottle!" skipper called over his shoulder. Kowalski looked about the room. He wasn't going to have much time, but he had to do the best with what he had. He set the reel to reel to re-record the tape backwards, and then set up another invention to destroy the original once the copy was made._

_"Smash everything you see!" He heard a lobster shout on the floe above him. He'd forgotten that! What if the lobsters smashed the tape? There was only one. That was when he saw the Skipper's long, on the floor. That would work to back up the tape._

"What are you doing!" Blowhole shouted. Private hadn't noticed Blowhole's arrival until he spoke, and immediately took off down the other tunnel, "Well, what are you waiting for? GET HIM!" Automatically, the lobsters took off after the fleeing penguin, who was already disappearing down the opposite passage. Blowhole stopped the 'unknown' recording, selecting another audio file.

"Um, boss, didn't you say you wanted that tape played?" the lobster asked.

"No, you idiot, I said I wanted the tapes of Manfridi and Johnson's failed escape played." Blowhole replied.

"Why would you want to do that? I mean, you killed those guys years ago?"

"Because Skipper still feels guilty about their deaths, and playing the recordings of their last moments, will only make him feel guiltier and therefore less effective in a fight," Blowhole pressed play, "Simple psychological warfare."

* * *

Kowalski tried to bypass the circuit controlling the flame throwers, again. The defences had mysteriously activated, and Private was nowhere to be seen.

"Rico, give me a heat proof suit." Kowalski ordered. Surprisingly, the penguin regurgitated the said object, and handed it to the scientist, who immediately donned it. Once again he approached the trap, which erupted into fire the moment he got within two feet. Cautiously, the penguin stepped into the fire, the heat searing his feathers despite the suit. The flames parted slightly when he attempted to walk through, but the heat was far too intense to continue.

"I can't get through, Skipper." Kowalski shouted.

"Great pizza with anchovies, Kowalski! Why can't you get through?" Skipper replied, his voice desperate. Kowalski made another attempt to cross the flames.

"Feeesh" Rico moaned. The penguin hadn't eaten since the previous day, and Rico got pretty desperate when there was a lack, which wouldn't be good. He might just try to run through the flames without any protection, or do something equally impossible, out of desperation.

"I don't know Skipper, but we have to. Rico's getting pretty hungry." Kowalski replied, backing away. It really didn't make sense; he should have been able to make it through, unless decreased heat tolerance was a side effect of the energy blast. Now there was a hypothesis to test…

"Keep trying, Kowalski!" Skipper ordered, snapping the taller penguin back to reality.


	13. Red Button: Pushed

**"Push the red button…"**

**"Don't push the red button…"**

**Should he push the red button? Who was right? Nigel had said "red button" but he could have been about to continue, red button blows up the world, or something else he didn't want to do. The two penguins were only feet away. It was in that split second, that he pushed the red button.**

"Oh tuna he didn't…" A tall penguin James hadn't seen before gasped, emerging from the tunnel behind the glowing red penguin. He pushed his way to the front, towards the machine. Suddenly, three devices, activated by the single red button, began to glow. The new, and slightly see through, penguin banged his flipper frantically on the button, with no result.

"I had no choice Kowalski." the glowing penguin shouted staring at the glowing machines.

"Skipper, it was untested!" the tall penguin replied.

"We're dead anyway!" Skipper retorted. The zombie penguin also approached the machine, and joined the tall penguin in his efforts to turn it off. The light from the machine was now so bright, it was blinding to look at.

"Skipper, this machine re-creates the accident that caused all this, it was a last resort…" A beam of coloured energy shot from each of the machines, combining into a glowing ball of energy in the centre, "Oh quantum entanglement…!" Suddenly the energy exploded, the brightly coloured energy sweeping across the room and through the walls, in less than a blink of an eye.

* * *

"Is he going to be okay, Skippah?" James recognised the voice as belonging to the penguin named Private.

"I hope so, Private." The American accented voice belonging to the glowing red penguin replied. James sat bolt upright, missing the top of the concrete bunk by a few inches.

"'e awake 'ipper!" an unfamiliar voice shouted happily. James looked at the speaker.

"Oh my mackerel IT's THE EXPLODING LAVA PENGUIN!" James jumped out of bed, intending to make a run for it, but a wave of dizziness swept over him. The penguin would have fallen face first onto the floor, if the exploding lava penguin hadn't grabbed him, and dragged him back to the bunk.

"James?" Private rushed into the room, and over to the penguin's bed.

"Buttons?" James mumbled.

"My name's Private, but you can call me buttons if you want to." The English accented penguin replied.

"What… What happened?"

"You pressed the red button, remember? Well, everything's all right now, the zoo's back to normal." The tall penguin, the glowing one had called Kowalski entered the room.

"How are you feeling?" Kowalski asked.

"Dizzy," James replied, then nodded in the exploding lava penguin's direction, "He's not going to shoot lava at me, is he?" Kowalski looked at him with a mystified expression.

"Shoot lava? That knock on the head must have been harder than I expected…"

"I think it's just popular rumour," Private explained.

"What happened, after the explosion?" James asked.

"Well, after the energy turned everything normal again," Private explained, "the machine…" the short, flat headed penguin whom Kowalski had called skipper entered the room from the lab.

"In the true style of all of Kowalski's inventions, exploded." Skipper interrupted sarcastically.

"Not all my inventions explode!" Kowalski protested, "anyway, you were caught up in the explosion and have been unconscious for two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS!" James exclaimed, trying to sit up, but Private pushed him down again.

"Yes, two weeks." Kowalski confirmed.

"Don't worry, your parents know you're safe," Private explained, "another team in the area, reported the 'strange lights' and opened the gates."

"I just kept you here for observation." Kowalski replied.

"What about Agent Nigel?" James asked.

"Yeah, um about that… We still can't find him," Kowalski explained, "Private only saw his disappearance briefly on a very small screen. We were hoping we could furnish us with some clues." James glanced up at the once ghostly penguins, who now seemed quite normal. At first he hadn't trusted them, but Buttons was with them, so they couldn't really be evil.

"He disappeared into the floor, then the floor just went back together again." James replied.

"Why didn't I think of that!" Kowalski exclaimed, "They put him in the emergency fish and fresh water cellar!"

"Commence Operation: Retrieve Nigel!" The four penguins raced out of the room and after their youngest member's uncle. James smiled, staring up through the fish bowl entrance, at the sunny day above. Finally, it was over, no more un-dead fish, no more spontaneous dancing, no more skeletal kangaroos. James couldn't wait to go home.

The End


End file.
